3 Must know social media trends for 2018

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is a powerful tool for brands. Staying up to date on the latest changes will help you create a social strategy for your brand that works. These three social media trends are overarching ideas that have always been a part of social media. Their importance continues to grow in 2018, as privacy concerns, changing algorithms and shifting brand goals play out.

Brands are Becoming More Personal

Social media platforms are tweaking their algorithms to value personal content for a reason: users enjoy this type of content more than salesy messages from big brands. In response, brands are creating social media content that is more personal. Behind-the-scenes Instagram Stories, user-generated content and partnerships with well-loved social media influencers help brands seem more human.

Engagement Over Everything

Social media is no longer just a tool for driving customers to your website. Instead, companies are using Twitter for customer service and responding to mentions on Instagram. This builds an engaged community of social media users who are genuinely interested in your brand. There are two benefits of an engaged social media audience. Firstly, it can help your posts perform well in algorithms that prioritize engaging content. Secondly, it can improve your social media ROI in the long run.

It’s also important to note that while social media networks prioritize content with more comments and shares, deliberately asking for these actions from your users is seen as bad practice, especially on Facebook.

Users Expect Transparency

Savvy social media users want to know exactly what they’re looking at. Disclosing influencer partnerships, relevant political affiliations, news sources and how you’re using customer information are all important. In 2018, being transparent with your fans on social media will likely become even more important as the US government weighs in on what responsibility social media channels and brands have to be transparent online.

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